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@uiten tetra ferment @ffice WILLIAM H. GUMMINGS AND ISAIAH BABGOCK, OF BOONSBQRO, IOWA.

Letters Patent N'o. 65,178, dated JIag/ 28, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN GAUGS IOR HOLDING GLAPBOARDS.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CON CERN:

Be it-known that we, WILLIAM HENRY CUMMINGs and IsAIAn BABoooK, of Boonsboro, in the county of Boon, and State of Iowa, have invented a new and improved Clamping Device for Holding; Clapboards and Siding in place when put on a building; and we do hereby declare that the following is. a full, clear, and enact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification. i

, The drawing represents our improved clamping device for holding siding or weather-boards.

Tho nature of this invention consists in a new and useful clamping device for gauging and holding weather- 'ooards or siding when put on a building for the purpose of securing them on each other evenly and expeditiously while they are fastened on, and avoiding the necessity of' measuring the distance for the laps, and the bad practice of driving a nail in the' last board to set the one above and hold it in place while it is nailed on to the stud- `ding. By our improved device the siding is instantly placed at the right distance above the last board put on,

and fixed and held in its position while being nailed` It is a small, simple instrument for the workman at each end of a siding to use, and thus proceed with the work rapidly and evenly. It is made of sheet brass or any suitable metal.

The instrument, as shown in the drawinggris formed of adjustable devices to fit the clapboard orlsiding in thickness, and to set it with the lap of any required width, while at the same time there is a clamping arrangement to x and hold it irm when the claphoard isset in place.

Thenppcr piece of the instrument is a flat bar, a, which is fastened at right angles to another bar, b, by a set-screw', c. The bar I; is an arm ot' another har, b', to which it stands at right angles, and the bar a may be adjusted by the set-screw e working in a slot to suit a claphoard of any thickness, to lie under it when the har b is laid flat upon the clapboard below it, as shown in the drawing. The bar b is fastened to a bar, cl, placed under it, by a set-screw, e, which works in a slot and adjusts on a scale of measurement the extension of the two bars d' and d to suttthe width of the lap required for the siding, as shown also in the drawing, and on the under side of the bar d is a iixed dog, Vg, that checks under the lower side of the clapboard when it is set, and is held in place firmly by a spring-dog, L, that :is operated by a lever, c, which is pivoted on the bar d outside' of the fixed dog-g. When the instrument is adjusted to the siding to set the last board in place, as described, the lever 7c is in an upright position. It is then pushed down to force the point of the spring-dog L down into the lower clapboard to clamp it and prevent the dogg from slipping back, thus holding all fast while the upper clapboard is 'nailed on. The bar d is projected beyond the lever 7e to form a handle, cZ, on which is fastened one end of the spring-dog L, and' attached to which is a leg, m, the foot of which rests upon the lower clap'board asa guide and support when the instrument is used, as hereinbefore described.

Having described our invention, we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The combination of the adjustable bars a, b, and d, the fixed dog g, and the spring-dog 7L, and the lever 7c, or their equivalent devices, arranged and operating substantially as and for the purposes herein described.

i i WILLIAM HENRY CUMMINGS,v

ISAIAII BABCOCK.

. Witnesses:

WILLIAM BUDRIN, l W. H. BAneocK. 

